Hey guys! I built a lamination room in the basement of my parent’s house. I glass about 7-8 boards a year and mostly do repairs in this room. In recent weeks, my parents started raising concerns about fumes from the epoxy spreading in the house. I was never worried about it since I wear a great mask when I am working and I do not use Poly at all. Online information about epoxy fumes vary widely depending on the source. What do you guys think? what type of ventilation should be safe for indoors laminating? is it worth to invest in a big vent system? I almost exclusively use Resin Research surfer system and sometimes Entropy resin and never do any sanding in this room. I have a separate shed for shaping and sanding.
I think most of the issues are related to “contact sensitivity” with the resin/hardener mix.
For Resin,
Scroll down to “Response:”
Inhalation
Systemic
I believe the hardener is the primary cause of contact sensitivity and should be used with care.
From the folks at Entropy:
I see in my head three things that could help (I am not an expert):
-make sure the glassing space is not hooked to the rest of the house via supply and return vents/registers for forced air heat or cooling.
-Devise a safe way to ‘air our’ the space directly outdoors after the board has cured.
-Discuss the epoxy fume reduction plan with the parents, make sure they are OK and on-board to keep the peace and your glassing space.
Google or duck/duck around and educate your parents. A lot of guys don’t even wear a mask when laminating with Epoxy. The lack of odor and mostly benign hazards when laminating with Epoxy is one of the biggest reasons people use it. Also; Every Epoxy manufacturer makes a “Bio” formula these days. Even safer.
I can’t speak for RR or Entropy resin, but I experienced respiratory problems after being exposed to other brand epoxies . I don’t have any data to share , but I try to be not around during the curing phase , and I switched to using masks on top of protecting the skin when using epoxies .
I consider them as toxic chemicals. If somebody in your house feels discomfort I’m not sure if arguing with data sheets is doing you a big favor. As far as I understood bio content in " bio resin " does not refer to being any different in those realms-the source for the resin is not based on petrochemicals in the first place.
Don’t want to get hysterical here , I think if you find a solution to direct the airstream out of the house there should be no big investment necessary.
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@RES I always glass with a 3M 5201 so I am not bothered by the fumes at all personally. I think the concerns are more based into the fumes spreading in the house. I do have a window that I could equip with a small fan simply to create an airflow. I would like to get @Resin_Research 's 2 cents on it.
Resin Research’s SDS (Safety Data Sheets) are their “legal $0.02” about the fumes and other safety hazards.
Whether or not people use safety equipment is “personal choice.”
Pretty sure the active compounds/ingredients used in various epoxy formulations have the same safety liabilities.
This is a link to the Safety Data Sheets for all Resin Research Products.
And some quick science:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cod.12280
A fan in the window sounds like a great idea since the primary suggestion for epoxy is to use ‘in a well ventilated area’. I would use it to draw air out of the small room rather than blow air in.
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Novoc epoxy can be use without mask in well ventilate space if no use of solvent. Power fan to push air outside and at least opposit free opening to let fresh air intake.
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Yes; Air out—-Air in. Just plain ol’ “common sense”. And a so called “well ventilated room”.
Yes nothing incredible. For my engineer work i had to design ventilation and dust collection for industrial process so i learned some basics.
For a shape/lam (epoxy) room we need to change all air at least 20x each hour in working zone. Best is to intake fresh from ceiling over worker, to push down polluant and to evacuate at ground. Air speed around worker at best should be 0.45m/s.
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I have also seen airflow from ceiling to floor used in industrial areas that had clean room requirements.
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You may be “allergic” or “resin sensitive “ . Some people are and can’t get anywhere near it.
Not sure , I figure there are different types of reactions according to the predisposition. I have a friend who can’t even walk through the workshop without showing skin irritation - it’s crazy. One may argue that his history of exposure to resin of all sorts , release agents and solvents exceeds everything that a “normal” person will be exposed to during the lifetime, but to me it shows that there’s something building up over time of exposure that can’t be metabolized.
For me its still ok , I was having issues after moving indoors in the garage , when glassing in the winter , without mask . I felt shortbreathed- no drama , but didn’t feel like a promising nutritional supplement either. It’s a ventilation vs temperature situation then. With a mask it’s no issue at all.
But even then I think it’s better to treat all those things carefully, especially when there’s a third party involved that doesn’t share our love for the product.
Most of the time I have no problem with Epoxy or Polyester. I’m usually in a well ventilated room. But I still prefer to wear a Charcoal mask like 3M and Binks make. Keep in mind though that those masks are saturated in 2-3 hours of use in heavy fumes. If the room is well ventilated the cartridges go a lot farther. Fresh air in (preferably overhead) and exhaust at floor level. Most fumes like those from Poly, lacquer etc. are heavier than air and sink to floor level. The real fumes in Poly are a result of catalyzation. UV resin is much milder. I would suggest that people with problems as a result of Epoxy or Poly/MEK fumes give Straight UV resin. It’s Just NOT necessary to add a small amount of MEK to UV resin. It will go off just fine without catalyst. The idea that you always have to add MEK to UV just to be sure it goes off is a Swaylock Myth.
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You do great work. You always been ahead of the curve on this stuff. Your boards are Strong and Beautiful as well. You are a thinking man who puts some serious thought into this stuff. And your past experience helps you understand what will work and what won’t. Lowel(aka— McDing)
OK McD what’s up with the indirect posts?
You’ve posted all kinds of great technical pearls over the years.
I was beginning think you were ghetto-rat trolling.
If it is truly you, glad to see you’re back.
“Where’s the beef (meat)?”